


Sinking

by Xavthedragon



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, Fluff, mermaid au, very short, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 23:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20554742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xavthedragon/pseuds/Xavthedragon
Summary: Himiko has a nightmare about the ocean. Incidentally, she lives in it.





	Sinking

Himiko realized she was underwater.

Well, that wasn’t a new feeling. She was a mermaid, after all—everyone she knew was one, too. She was used to being in water and using her dolphin flippers and fluke to swim around, so it wasn’t something she thought about a lot, because it was just her ordinary life.

This, however, felt a little different. Her body weighed itself down, like her stomach was made of iron. She didn’t sink, though; the water only lapped gently around her motionless body. Was she even in control of herself? She tried opening her eyes.

Nothing but deep blue met her vision. She slowly moved her arms in front of her and breathed in, relieved that she could see them. She continued to look at her arms and continued downward to her torso. A sleeveless white dress draped over her body. She tugged at the collar, which barely resisted; it was just loose and thin, like the rest of the fabric. At least in her memory, she didn’t own anything like it. It wasn’t her ideal outfit at all. Here, though, it was all she had on her. No hat to hide under, no jacket to warm her up, just a thin white veil between her and the waves.

Himiko could feel the surface above her back, metres away. She turned her head to look up at it, to see the sunrays filter through and pierce the sea around her. They filled the water surrounding her and dissolved the deeper they reached below her.

It felt like a lull, like a crib of light, like she was being rocked back and forth by the waves. Her eyes closed instinctively.

They opened just as quickly. This wasn’t normal. Where was she?

Himiko broke her suspension and waved her tail, just enough to move forward. She looked around, all around, in every direction. But every direction was the same. Sunlight, sea, sunlight, sea…rainbows of blue but nothing more. The strokes of her tail and the waving of her flippers grew more frantic as she lost a sense of any direction, desperate. But there was nothing to see, nothing to landmark her. She was situated within blue and stuck above void that grew darker and darker the deeper she looked, like a silent vortex devouring light. The last thing to do was check the surface for land. Land meant shallows, and shallows meant home. If not home, then humanity, at least.

Himiko held her hands together, gripping them rigidly. She waved her fluke in the direction of the surface. It wasn’t far; she could do it. But her muscles seized up as she reached above her. The surface wasn’t there anymore. All that remained was an expanse of water and water--just more, more water. There was no surface, only…ocean that shimmered within itself, stacked above her in infinite strata.

Her hand reached out to more water, no surface, no air. The energy that had built up in her was gone, stripped away with the pull of the void. That wasn’t all; Himiko had begun to sink along with it. At first, she wiggled her flippers, but she knew there was no point and fell still. As the water took her into the abyss, she wrapped her arms around herself and felt her salty tears combine with the sea.

“Himiko?”

Her eyes blinked open, still warm from tears. No longer did she find herself in an endless ocean expanse. Instead, she was covered by a warm electric sheet with her head resting on a pillow.

“Himiko…” she heard again. The water swirled around her and she felt a different kind of warmth wash over her. Her eyes closed, she leaned into the warmth, and she began to sob.

She wasn’t alone anymore.

“Tenko…” The word fell out of her lips. “Nh…”

Her girlfriend moved closer to her. Though the room was dark, their small blue nightlight bounced its glow against Tenko’s face. Her eyes, half closed, were focused on Himiko’s own. They were tired, but they still had their characteristic sparkle of love.

Tenko put her hand around Himiko, the water from the movement blanketing her. “Bad dream, honey?”

“Mhm…” Himiko didn’t want to think about it. She wanted to forget about being alone. She wanted to stay in a tight, cozy embrace for as long as she could.

Tenko knew, too. She kissed Himiko’s forehead and rested her head against hers. The colder water was hardly noticeable now, overcome by Tenko’s radiant body and the covers they snuggled under.

“N…” Himiko’s eyes opened briefly again, staring past Tenko and into the black water of the night. She shuddered. The taller girl squeezed her girlfriend tighter, though still gently.

“Can I ask you somethin’? It’s kinda dumb, though…” Himiko mumbled. Tenko giggled and loosened her grip to look at her.

“I doubt it’s dumb, silly. What is it?”

Himiko let out a “Nyeh…” and sighed. “Do you think it’s bad that…I’m scared of the ocean?”

Tenko blinked and opened her eyes a little wider. “Nah, that’s not bad. Or dumb. Why’s that, though?”

“B’cuz…” Himiko paused and looked away from Tenko, back into the darkness. “It’s too big…and empty, and when it gets dark, I can’t see what’s around me…not even with my night-vision spell…”

Tenko didn’t move or talk, but just smiled at Himiko, who grumbled a little. “It’s dumb since I live here…makes me feel so powerless…” Himiko fell silent. Though indiscernible with the rest of the water, her eyes welled up once again. “What if I’m out there…n’ I’m carried off somewhere, n’ when I wake up, I’m all alone? No one to practice my magic with…or talk to. I don’t wanna float away…”

Tenko let go of her embrace but took both of Himiko’s hands into her own. She gave her girlfriend a toothy grin. “You won’t have to worry about that. I’ll hold you down, and I’ll follow the current if I gotta. The ocean’s scary, but…I’ll always be here to hold you and protect you.”

“I don’t need protection…I just gotta refill my MP…” she trailed off, a smile returning to her face. “But thanks.” She wiggled her flippers and moved in even closer to Tenko. Naturally, as an octopus mermaid, Tenko returned the favour, embracing her tail and holding onto her with several limbs. The two were inseparable.

“Let’s get some sleep, then,” Tenko whispered to her. Himiko closed her eyes and settled her head against Tenko’s chest.

“I love you…” Himiko mumbled into her girlfriend. Tenko’s respiration sped up for a second but fell back into a calmness.

“I love you too, my forever mage.” She kissed her girlfriend’s head.

“Nini…” Himiko whispered. With the rise and fall of Tenko’s gill-lungs, the beating of her heart, and the warmth of her cuddling, she fell back asleep to the rhythm of her love.


End file.
